MONTREAL—He embodies the Parti Québécois’ hope for Quebec independence and symbolizes the party’s off-the-rails campaign halfway through the provincial election.

Former Quebecor president Pierre Karl Péladeau, a multi-millionaire, was recruited to boost the PQ’s economic clout but ended up hanging a referendum albatross around party leader Pauline Marois’ neck — one she is trying desperately to shake off.

There is one person who knows all too well the expectations and challenges that Péladeau faces, and he has an unlikely sympathy for the media baron. But the star candidate of the last Quebec election, Jacques Duchesneau, also has advice for the star candidate of the current campaign — plus a warning for voters.

“Mark my words, he will not stay (in politics), even though he claims the contrary. I don’t think he will stay if (the PQ) are in opposition, especially if the government is a majority government,” Duchesneau told the Toronto Star in an interview Friday.

“It’s not him. I’m not saying that to be mean. He’s a guy of action and he will find anything but action at the national assembly.”

Duchesneau’s candidacy for the upstart Coalition Avenir Québec in 2012 gave the party instant credibility on the central issue of the campaign — political corruption. His authority as the former Montreal police chief and head of a provincial anti-corruption unit helped double the CAQ’s seat count to 18 from 9 on election night.

Duchesneau has since left politics out of distaste for the hyperpartisan atmosphere.

He is now writing a masters thesis in aviation terrorism at Kingston’s Royal Military College. An April 1 deadline for Duchesneau’s dissertation means he has no time for the campaign, though he is in regular contact with the CAQ candidate in the riding of Saint-Jérôme, north of Montreal, who is facing off against Péladeau in this election.

Opinion polls indicate Péladeau’s performance thus far has hurt the PQ as much as Duchesneau’s performance last time around helped the CAQ. Parti Québécois support has been dropping and Liberal support has been steadily rising ever since Péladeau declared his goal to “make Quebec a country” on Day 5 of the campaign.

A few days later, former PQ premier Jacques Parizeau saluted the party’s new recruit: “Finally, the sovereignty of Quebec has returned to the centre of the debate. It was time.”

But Duchesneau said he knew instantly that Péladeau’s words would backfire. Péladeau’s success as a captain of industry had not prepared him to tow the PQ’s deliberately ambiguous party line on independence, which remains unpopular with two-thirds of Quebecers.

“He knew what kind of party he was joining but he didn’t know that he cannot be a loudmouth or an open-minded person about it,” Duchesneau said.

“Independence is not important anymore. It’s now the economy,” Duchesneau said. “Why is that? Because they’re losing.”

He refers to himself as a “loudmouth.” Others dubbed him a loose cannon. But he is relieved to be a private citizen once again — a popular and outspoken figure can be a blessing and a curse for any political party.

Duchesneau said politics can be a difficult profession for someone who says he tried to respond to every request for public comment as if he were still a police detective with one hand on the Bible giving evidence in court. It wasn’t always easy, he said.

“To me, it’s hard when I meet people to make them believe things that I do not believe myself.”

At times Duchesneau had to zip his mouth so as not to cause trouble for caucus colleagues. His support of the federal gun registry, which the federal Conservative government has abolished, put him at odds with CAQ lawmakers in Quebec’s more rural regions.

How will Péladeau, a hard-driving executive with the reputation for micromanaging and fighting with unions, react when his party cozies up to its traditional labour movement allies?

And how much patience will a veteran of private enterprise have when the wheels of Quebec’s notoriously bloated bureaucracy start grinding to a halt?

“For 30 years I was used to the police being called when you have a problem and you need it fixed right away,” Duchesneau said. “He (Péladeau) will quickly realize when he goes to the national assembly that that’s not the way things are done there . . . . You can talk for minutes, hours, days, months or years. If he’s there to find solutions to problems he’s going to be in for a big surprise.”

He also says that Péladeau’s election is no sure thing in Saint-Jérôme, although that may be the embers of the short-lived politician speaking. Duchesneau won by only 857 votes over his PQ opponent in 2012. Péladeau is facing off against the CAQ’s Patrice Charbonneau, a local real estate agent, and Liberal candidate Armand Dubois, a former Quebecor journalist.

“It started on the wrong foot. It doesn’t mean that he’s not a good candidate but it doesn’t mean that he will be elected either. First thing’s first: put your name on the ballot list, then get elected, then get a cabinet minister position and then try and do things.”

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